Trademark Search First, Then Brand

All too often an entrepreneur requests a trademark search after they have settled on a branding strategy.  Indeed, in many cases, the company has been formed under a particular name, the product and its packaging has been designed around that name, and (sadly) the product has launched sometimes with great

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Patent Reform: First To File Effective March 16, 2013

Patent Reform arrived as law on September 16, 2011.  The good news is that the Patent Office will soon have a “micro” entity fee structure which will allow many entrepreneurs a 75% reduction in their Patent Office related fees.  However, the new law also transforms the U.S. into a first-to-file

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What Makes an Idea Likely to Click?
Often an entrepreneur concludes that their once-brilliant idea is unpatentable and they let it wither on the vine.  Yet a patent attorney (if they had been consulted) might have thought ... Angels, Entrepreneurs, and Gadflies: How Angels View NDAs
Many entrepreneurs ask angel investors to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA) prior to discussing their businesses. They never hear back from the angels and wonder why. One reason may be that, ... A Lot of Zeros for Patents
$12,500,000,000. That’s a lot of zeros to pay for intellectual property (IP). But that was the price Google paid for Motorola Mobility and, mostly, for their patent portfolio. In ... 3 Bizarre Things About Patent Applications
Sometimes a business owner, eager to see the company’s first patent application, opens the draft -- and barfs. Never have they paid for such gobblygook. Many things about patents might ... Legal prep can help businesses deal with 900-pound gorillas
As a rule, gorillas and apes typically take a peaceful approach to life, but as the trailers for the Aug. 5 “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” have ... Things Entrepreneurs Should Look For in a Patent Attorney
Shopping for a patent attorney may seem pretty simple.  You simply find one with expertise in your technical area.  Right?  However, focusing on the technical qualifications of a candidate ... I-FORD: IP Found on the Road Dead
“What we’re doing is obvious. What's patentable about it?” This question marks the end of the IP road for many entrepreneurs. As a result, many entrepreneurs walk away ... Intellectual Property Games
In the 70s and 80s Pong, Centipede, and Pac-Man held those of us admittedly old enough to remember them awestruck.  I remember sneaking into a lake-front bar and force feeding ...
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